NEW YORK – Less than three months after being hired as manager of the New York Mets, Carlos Beltran lost his job without having coached a single game.
Beltran was given his first managerial gig Nov. 1, when the Mets signed him to a three-year contract. As it turns out, his tenure didn’t even last until Opening Day because of his involvement in the 2017 Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal.
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Beltran, while playing his 20th and final MLB season, was a member of the World Series champion Astros who used their video replay room and a monitor near the dugout as ways to steal signs from opposing teams.
When MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred released the league’s findings after investigating the allegations, Beltran was one of the players named in the scheme.
Beltran is accused of working with then-bench coach Alex Cora and other players to have a monitor installed immediately outside the dugout that showed the center field camera feed of the opposing catcher’s signals.
Players would watch the live feed of the center field camera, decode the sign and bang on a nearby trash can with a bat or a massage gun to communicate the upcoming pitch type to the batter, according to officials.
MLB officials said one or two bangs generally indicated certain off-speed pitches, while no bang corresponded to fastballs.
Cora, who took over as manager of the Boston Red Sox and won the World Series the following year, was fired Tuesday.
Astros owner Jim Crane fired manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow moments after the league’s findings were revealed.
Beltran is the fourth casualty in wake of the investigation. The Mets officially announced at 1:29 p.m. Thursday that the two sides agreed to part ways.
Statement from #Mets COO Jeff Wilpon and Executive Vice President & General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen on Carlos Beltrán. pic.twitter.com/tDSBLczoIA
— New York Mets (@Mets) January 16, 2020
Statement from Carlos Beltrán. pic.twitter.com/gv9NNIzoQd
— New York Mets (@Mets) January 16, 2020
Beltran racked up 2,725 hits in his MLB career, posting a .279/.350/.486 slash line with 435 home runs, 565 doubles and 312 stolen bases in 2,586 games. He played in nine MLB All-Star games, won three Gold Glove awards and was named the AL Rookie of the Year in 1999. Beltran also received MVP votes in seven different seasons, though he never finished higher than fourth.